Little Sister
by joesprincess06
Summary: I thought Ben should have a daughter and the boys needed a little sister so that is what this story is about plus some juicy drama.
1. Chapter 1

Ben Cartwright was pacing nervously outside the room where his fourth wife Rachel was giving birth to their child. He heard her scream and cringed he didn't like his wife being in pain and even though he knew it was part of the process it still tore him up inside. Suddenly the door flew open and the doctor appeared.

"Congratulations Ben!" the doctor exclaimed.

Ben ran into the room before the doctor could tell him if it was a boy or girl.

Rachel was sitting up in bed with her baby in her arms when her husband entered.

"Oh Ben come see your daughter." She said with a smile.

"It's a girl!" Ben said excitedly as he went to his wife's side to see the bundle in her arms.

"Isn't she beautiful Ben?" Rachel asked as she smiled at her husband.

"She takes after you, she's gorgeous." Ben said with a smile.

"What are we going to name her Ben?" Rachel asked knowing they had only picked out boys names sure they would have a son. "I wanted to name our child after my father but James is hardly a name for a girl." She said sadly.

"Well I would have to agree with you there but what if we named her Jamie? I know it's an unusual name for a girl but then at least we could still name her after your father." Ben suggested.

Rachel thought a minuet then looked down at her daughter and finally spoke.

"Is your name Jamie?" She asked the little baby in her arms. The baby made some grunting sounds and Rachel smiled. "I think she likes it." She said with a giggle as she just looked at her baby. Then she looked up at Ben. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Ben said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed Rachel.

Now fast forward a couple of years Rachel is in Virginia City in the general store picking out a few little odds and ends for her family while her husband was doing some business at the bank. Just as she was exiting the store two men who had been fighting in the saloon now had their guns drawn in the street and were shooting at each other. Right as she stepped out of the store a stray bullet struck her and she fell. Upon hearing the shots Ben ran from the bank to see what was going on. He came out in time to see the bullet hit his wife and to see her fall. He ran over too her but it was too late she was gone.

It has been fourteen years since her mother's death and Jamie has blossomed into a beautiful young woman and the young men in town are starting to take notice much to her father and brothers' dismay. On a particular day Jamie and Joe are fighting over a young man who wants to court her.

"Joe I can't believe you!" Jamie screamed at her brother as they entered the house.

"What did I do that was so wrong?" He yelled back at her.

Ben hearing the commotion in his house came in to see what was going on. He walked in just in time to see Joe yelling at his sister.

"Joseph you don't yell at your sister!" Ben said sternly to his son. "Now can one of you tell me what is going on here?" He asked exasperated.

"Joe here can't except that I am not a little girl anymore!" Jamie informed her father still very angry at her brother

"Oh?" Ben said in a questioning tone.

"Yes, he got into a fight with Tom Hardy just because he was talking to me." Jamie said as she crossed her arms.

"I thought Tom was your friend?" Ben asked confused

"He is Pa but…but..." Joe stammered.

"But what Joseph?" His father asked him obviously not understanding

"I don't want him talking to my little sister is all." Joe said almost embarrassed by his answer.

"First of all I am standing right here so please don't talk about me as if I'm not and second I am not a little girl anymore Joe!" Jamie exclaimed

"I think your brother is still very protective of you sweetheart." Ben said smiling at his daughter.

"But daddy he is ruining my life!" She exclaimed. "Tom was one of the last men in town who would talk to me and now he probably won't even look at me again." She said with tears in her eyes.

Seeing how upset his sister was over this Joe felt horrible. He never meant to make her cry he loved his sister very much and wanted nothing more than to see her happy it was just that when his friends started taking notice of her he didn't like it at all. It was hard for him to see her as a woman rather than his baby sister.

"I'm sorry." Joe said looking at his feet and feeling very ashamed of himself. "I didn't realize." He said looking at his sister again. "It's just all our lives you have been my baby sister." He said looking her straight in the eye then reaching out and pulling her into a hug. "And I guess I will always see you that way." He whispered as he hugged her.

"Joe one of these days you are going to have to realize that I am not a little girl anymore." Jamie said as she hugged him back.

"Now that you two have settled that can we please get to our chores?" Ben asked with a smile.

"Yes daddy." Jamie said as she left the house to go outside and start on her chores.

"Oh Joe…" Ben called after his son as he was leaving the house himself.

"Yeah Pa?" Joe turned to face his father.

"Can you tell Adam that I need to speak to him?" Ben asked his son.

"Sure Pa." Joe smiled

"He is helping Hoss fix the north fence." He called after his son as he disappeared out the door.

Joe mounted Cochise and rode off toward the north fence line to find his older brother. On his way he saw Tom who not only was his friend but happened to be a hand on the Ponderosa. He decided to go apologize to him about what had happened that afternoon.

"Hey Tom!" Joe yelled as he rode over to where Tom was watching the heard graze.

"What do you want Joe?" Tom asked still angry

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about this afternoon." Joe said in matter of fact tone.

"Forget it." Tom said annoyed.

"No I am not going to forget it you're my friend and she is my sister and if you two like each other I just wanted to let you know that I am ok with it." Joe said quite pleased with himself.

"Look Joe even if I did want to court your sister I wouldn't need your permission or approval you aren't her daddy." Tom said turning in his saddle and looking at Joe.

"You mean you aren't interested in courting Jamie?" Joe asked confused.

"No we are just friends and if you would've just listened I was trying to tell you that in town." Tom said now looking straight ahead.

"Ok well fine then I just wanted to say that I was sorry so now that I have done that I guess I better go I've got to find Adam anyway." Joe said as he turned Cochise around and left Tom with the heard.

A few minutes later he saw Adam and Hoss working on a section of the north fence and rode up to them. Upon hearing a horse approach Adam and Hoss looked up to see their little brother riding toward

them.

"Hey there Joe did you come to help us?" Adam asked his youngest brother.

"Pa sent me out here to get you." Joe informed him.

"For what?" Adam asked.

"I don't know he just wants you to go back to the house." Joe said. "I will stay here and help Hoss finish the fence." He added as Adam mounted Sport.

"Thanks Joe." Adam said as he rode off toward the house leaving his brothers to finish the fence.

It wasn't long before Adam reached the house. He tethered Sport and walked into the house to see his father sitting at his desk looking through some papers.

"You wanted to see me?" Adam asked causing his father to look up.

"Yes, there is something I need to talk to you about but you can't tell your brothers or your sister just yet." Ben said with a serious look on his face.

"Ok, what is it Pa?" He asked concerned.

"Well, I got a letter from Matilda Jones." Ben said pausing long enough for Adam to interject.

"Isn't that Rachel's mother?" Adam asked before his father could continue.

"Yes that she is." Ben said.

"If I remember correctly she was an awful woman who didn't want anything to do with Rachel after she married you." Adam said with a look like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Yeah she didn't approve of Rachel marrying me she wanted her to marry a man more fitting of San Francisco society so when we ran off and got married she disowned her." Ben replied with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"So what does she want?" Adam asked confused.

"I don't know she didn't say, all she said was she was coming and that she has something important she needed to discuss with me." Ben said with as much confusion in his voice as there was on his son's face.

The next few days past by quickly and uneventfully, not much was going on the Ponderosa so Ben gave his children a day of relaxation. Hoss and Adam went hunting, Little Joe went into Virginia City where he immediately got involved in a poker game at the saloon and Jamie took her horse Prince for a ride to her favorite spot. Ben stayed back at the house he was sitting on the front porch smoking his pipe and enjoying the quiet that came with his children and the hands being away. He was lost in thought when he was snapped back to reality by the sound of a buggy coming up to the house. He saw an older distinguished looking woman sitting in the buggy.

"Hello can I help you ma'am?" Ben asked as he approached the buggy.

"Is this the Ponderosa?" She asked curtly.

"Yes it is ma'am." He said.

"Well then if I could speak to Ben Cartwright." She said with the same lake of emotion as her first question.

"I am Ben Cartwright how can I help you?" He asked politely.

"I am Mrs. Matilda Jones and I have come to speak to you about my granddaughter. I Trust you got my letter." She said sternly.

"Yes I did, let's go inside and talk." Ben said with just as stern a look on his face as he helped her down from the buggy.

Once inside he offered her a seat on the settee. He then offered her a drink that she politely but coldly refused. After getting a cup of coffee for himself he settled in the chair across from her.

"So Mrs. Jones what is it that you want with my daughter?" He asked her firmly.

"Well Mr. Cartwright as you know Rachel was my daughter…" she started

"Yes and I also remember that when she married me you disowned her. So forgive me for not understanding why all of the sudden after 16 years you are showing an interest in my daughter." Ben said almost disgusted with the woman sitting in front of him.

"Mr. Cartwright it was only recently I learned of my daughter's death and the fact that she had a child. Upon hearing the news that I had a granddaughter I naturally wanted to come see her." She said with a stern look in her eye.

"How come I feel like you have some other reason for coming here?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"You would be right to assume that as a matter of fact there is the matter of Rachel's wishes regarding the girl." Matilda said flatly.

"I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about." Ben said raising his voice slightly.

"Well, you see I have a document here that states in the event of Rachel's untimely death upon the girl's sixteenth birthday I am to take her back to San Francisco with me and teach her to be a proper lady and have her marry a proper gentleman." She said quite pleased with herself.

"Excuse me if I have a hard time believing that my wife would draw up such a document without my knowledge especially with how she felt about you." Ben retorted getting angry.

"If you don't believe me here it is." She pulled a very legal looking document out of a satchel she was carrying with her and handed it to Ben.

"This appears to be a Will." Ben said confused."

"That it is. You see now that I have a legal right to my granddaughter." Matilda said pursing her lips.

Ben was very confused he couldn't believe that his wife would do this behind his back especially since the woman sitting before him had disowned her upon her marriage to him. He didn't know if this document was really legal but he did know that he wasn't going to give up his little girl without one hell of a fight.

"Well Mrs. Jones of course I want my attorney to look into this." Ben said with a stern look at Matilda.

"That's fine but you'll find it is all legal and proper." She said as she stood up to leave.

And with that they got up as he showed her out. Once Matilda had left Ben collapsed into his chair just staring at the piece of paper in his hand. He didn't want to believe that he might lose his precious daughter. He was still staring off into space when he heard the door open and Jamie walked in followed by her brothers.

"Hi daddy!" She said as she ran over and threw her arms around his neck.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?" He asked still a little lost in thought.

"It was good. What's that?" She asked noticing the paper in his hand.

"Oh it's nothing just a letter I need to reply to is all." He lied as he stood up, walked over to his desk and put it in the drawer for safe keeping.

"Why don't you go get washed up for supper while talk to your brothers about their day." He said as he hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She smiled at him and then he watched as she went upstairs to her room to wash up. Then he turned to his sons who had just returned from washing up themselves.

"Boys I need to talk to you about something very important and I don't want you telling your sister do you understand?" Ben asked looking sternly at his sons.

"Yes Pa." They said.

"Well as Adam already knows a week or so back I got a letter from Matilda Jones, who you all know his Rachel's mother who disowned her when she married me and came to live here on the ranch." He said still looking at his sons.

"Yeah Pa we remember her but what does she want after all these years?" Joe asked a little confused as to why this woman was suddenly interested in their family when she had wanted nothing to do with them when Rachel was alive.

"Well she is in town and she came by the house today and brought me this." Ben said as he walked over to his desk and took out the piece of paper that he had previously hid from his daughter and handed it to Adam.

"Pa this looks like a will and it says that in the event of Rachel's untimely death Jamie is to go live with Matilda upon her sixteenth birthday, which is in a couple of weeks." Joe said reading the words in disbelief.

"Matilda told me it was Rachel's will." Ben said curtly.

"That's impossible Rachel would never have gone behind your back and drawn up a will like this." Adam said angrily.

"She can't take her can she Pa?" Hoss asked worried not only about losing his little sister but also about what that would do to his father.

"I am not about to let that happen Hoss I promise you that." Ben said seeing the worry in his son's eyes.

"Supper ready get cold be all ruin if you don't come eat!" Hop Sing said breaking the silence.

"Ok Hop Sing we're coming. Remember boys not a word of this to your sister." Ben said looking at his sons sternly to get his point across.

They nodded in agreement as Ben placed the paper back in his desk. As he turned around he saw Jamie coming down the stairs.

"Well there's my little girl." Ben said with a smile as he put his arm around her.

"Daddy I'm not a little girl anymore." She said with a smile as she hugged him.

"You'll always be my little girl." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

She just smiled and they both went and took their place at the table and ate supper.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Ben got up early ate breakfast quickly then rode into town to see his lawyer to check the validity of his late wife's supposed will.

"John this can't be legal. You knew Rachel and how she felt about her mother and you know that she would never have gone behind my back and done this." Ben said.

"Your right there she has no legal standing and can't take Jamie from you so I wouldn't worry about this Ben." His lawyer said smiling. "If you want I can tell her." He offered seeing that Ben was clearly distracted by his thoughts.

"No thanks John I will go over to the hotel and tell her myself. Thanks again." Ben said as he walked out of the office.

Ben walked down the street to the hotel to tell Matilda that his daughter would be staying on the Ponderosa with him and her brothers.

"Hey there Ben!" The front desk clerk greeted him as he walked into the hotel. "Is there something I can help you with?" He asked as Ben approached the desk.

"Hi, George, I was wondering if you could tell me what room Mrs. Matilda Jones is staying in?" He asked the clerk with a forced smile.

"Ben you know I can't give out a guest's room number without their permission." George said sympathetically.

"George this is really important I really need to speak to her." Ben pleaded.

The old clerk looked at him for a moment he knew this man and that if he said it was important it probably was so after a moment or two he relented.

"She's in room 14." He said with a heavy sigh.

"Thank you George." Ben said as he went up the stairs to find room 14.

In the meantime back at the Ponderosa Adam, Hoss and Little Joe were eating breakfast and talking about the work to be done that day when Jamie came down the stairs.

"Well good morning sleepy head." Joe chuckled as Jamie took her seat at the table.

She gave her brother a look that told him she wasn't amused.

"Where's daddy?" She asked noticing her father wasn't at the table as usual.

"He went into town early this morning to take care of some business." Joe said as he took one last bite of his breakfast.

"Oh, do you guys plan on going into town today?" She asked looking at her brothers hopefully.

"Well I do need to go pick up some supplies, why?" Hoss asked.

"I wanted to get a new dress for my party next week and maybe surprise daddy and have lunch with him at the hotel." She replied smiling.

"Ok well finish your breakfast and I'll get the buckboard ready. I'll meet ya outside in twenty minutes." Hoss said with a smile.

Jamie smiled at her brother as he walked out the door. After about ten minutes she had finished her breakfast and helped Hop Sing clear the table then she went outside where Hoss was waiting for her. She climbed up into the seat next to him and they started off towards Virginia City. They were both silent for a while until Jamie finally spoke.

"Hoss what business did daddy have to tend to in town so early this morning?" She asked genuinely curious.

"I don't rightly know." He lied. He looked over at his sister he felt bad about lying to her but he had made a promise to his father to not tell her what he was going.

Back at the hotel Ben had just told Matilda that his lawyer said that she had no legal standing and could not take his daughter from him.

"Well Mr. Cartwright I don't care what your lawyer says I will have my granddaughter one way or another. She glared at him. Now please leave." She said pointing toward the door.

Ben just glared at her for a moment and then left angrily. As he left the hotel he saw Hoss and Jamie pulling up to the general store in the buckboard. At first he wondered why they were there then remembered that he had asked Hoss to get some supplies today but why had Jamie come? He wondered. He walked up to them.

"Daddy!" Jamie exclaimed excited to see her father.

"Hi sweetheart I wasn't expecting to see you in town today." Ben said hugging his daughter and throwing worried look at Hoss who with a look of his own reassured his father that Jamie hadn't been told anything.

"Don't you remember you told me I could get a new dress for my birthday party?" She questioned giving her father her best puppy dog pout that she knew he couldn't say no to.

"I did say that didn't I." Ben said with a smile.

"I was also hoping that we could have lunch together at the hotel." She said hoping to get the extra time with her father.

"We'll see I still have some things to do and I may not be done by lunch time." He said.

"Ok." She said clearly disappointed but she understood that her father was a busy man. She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek then headed for the dress shop.

When she was out of sight and ear shot Ben turned back to Hoss.

"Do you need help loading these supplies?" He asked his son with a smile.

"No thanks Pa I can get it." Hoss smile back at his father. "Have you talked to John yet?" Hoss asked.

"Yes, and he says that Matilda has no legal right to take Jamie even if that will was real." Ben said with a furrowed brow.

"That's good Pa." Hoss smile at his father.

"Yeah it is." Ben said distracted.

"Are you okay Pa?" Hoss asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine Hoss. I need to go see Roy." Ben said as he walked off toward the sheriff's office leaving Hoss standing in front of the general store with a confused look on his face.

Meanwhile in the dress shop Jamie had found the perfect dress for her party. It was pink satin and she loved the way it hugged her curves just right and the skirt was full. She felt like a little girl again and just wanted to twirl. She told Mrs. Davies the shop owner that she would take the dress and to please send the bill to her father. She was so excited she almost skipped as she left the dress shop with her new dress nestled in its box. She was still thinking about her dress and not paying a bit of attention to where she was going when all of a sudden she ran smack into a man walking the other way down the street. The impact knocked her off of her feet and before she could react she saw a hand reach out to her then she looked up into the prettiest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Let me help you." The handsome stranger said as he helped her up. "I'm sorry about that I really should pay more attention to where I am going." He said apologetically.

"Oh no it's my fault." Jamie laughed as she brushed herself off. "I am forever daydreaming and not looking where I am going." She laughed again.

"At least let me help you with those boxes." The stranger smiled at her as he picked up her boxes that had scattered when she fell. "My name is Jake Granville." He said as he handed her the boxes.

"Hi Jake I'm Jamie." She introduced herself as she smiled back at him.

"Jamie that is kind of an unusual name for a girl isn't it?" Jake asked with a chuckle.

She just gave him a look of annoyance and started to walk away.

"I didn't mean any offense ma'am." He said as he caught up with her. "In fact it's a down right pretty name." Jake said with a crooked little grin.

"Thanks." Jamie said as she blushed.

"What are all these boxes for?" He asked.

"Well if you must know I just bought a new dress and few other things for my birthday party." She said with a little smirk.

"Oh when is your birthday?" He asked with a smile.

"In two weeks" She smiled back at him.

"Oh I see." He said slyly.

"Well I really must be going my big brother is going to start wondering where I am." She said sweetly as she walked away.

Jake watched her walk away with a dumb smile face. Then his friend Andy came up and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Jake I'm glad I found you we need to get going if we are going to talk to Mr. Cartwright about hiring you on at the Ponderosa." Andy said trying to see what Jake was looking at.

"Oh, Yeah, let's go." Jake said still distracted.

"What were you looking at?" Andy asked as they walked toward their horses.

"Nothing." He lied as they mounted their horses and rode off. .

In the meantime Jamie had found Hoss and they were headed back to the Ponderosa. They rode in silence for a while until Hoss finally spoke.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have lunch with Pa like you wanted." He said apologetically.

"It's ok. He's busy I understand." She said as she stared off into the distance.

They rode in silence the rest of the way to the Ponderosa.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Later that day Joe was chopping wood in the yard when one of the hands rode up with another man.

"Hey Andy!" Joe said when he saw the ranch hand ride up.

"Hi there Joe!" Andy said as he and his companion dismounted.

"Who's this?" Joe asked looking at the other young man.

"Joe this here is my friend Jake and we were hoping to talk to your Pa about hiring him on." Andy said with a smile.

"Hi Jake I'm Joe." Joe introduced himself and held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you." Jake said as he shook his hand.

"Pa is inside let me go get him." Joe said as he went into the house to find his father. Upon walking inside Joe found his father sitting as his desk go over some paperwork. "Hey Pa Andy is here with a friend and was wondering if we could give him a job." Joe said as he sat on the corner of his father's desk.

"Well, I guess I better go meet him." Ben said with a smile as he stood up and followed Joe outside. Once he got outside he was greeted by Andy.

"Hi, Mr. Cartwright." Andy greeted him as he emerged from the house. "This is my friend Jake." Andy introduced the young man standing next to him.

"Hello Jake it's nice to meet you." Ben said shaking the young man's hand. "Now I understand you were looking for a job." He said with a smile.

"Yes sir." Jake said nervously.

"Well, do you have any experience working on a ranch?" Ben asked

"Yes sir, my Pa had a spread granted it wasn't as big as the Ponderosa but we did ok. We had a few head of cattle and I am pretty good at breaking horses." Jake said with a nervous smile.

"That's good. Well, we can always use more hands here so Andy why don't you show Jake where to put his things and show him around." Ben said with a smile.

"Thank you Mr. Cartwright." Jake said with a smile as he shook Ben's hand.

"You're very welcome. Now just do a good job." Ben chuckled.

"Oh I will. You won't be disappointed I promise." Jake said as he and Andy went off toward the bunk house.

As Andy and Jake were headed toward the bunk house Jake saw Jamie walking toward the barn

"What is she doing here?" He whispered to himself but still loud enough to get Andy's attention.

"What?" Andy asked as he turned around to see Jake staring at Jamie who was just slipping into the barn. "Oh no don't even think about it my friend." Andy said in a warning tone.

"What? Why?" Jake asked turning back to his friend.

"That is Mr. Cartwright's daughter." Andy said hoping to discourage his friend.

"Yeah so." Jake said with a smirk.

"Well I don't think that Mr. Cartwright would like it too much if one of his hands were to court his little girl." Andy said trying to convince his friend that pursuing the boss's daughter wasn't a good idea. "Not to mention how protective her three older brothers are." He added.

"I think I will take my chances." Jake said with a grin as he headed toward the barn.

"It's your funeral." Andy chuckled as Jake walked away.

Jamie was in the barn brushing down her horse and humming a little song when Jake walked in.

"Hey there pretty lady." He said with a smile.

Jamie quit brushing her horse and just stood there for a second then turned around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked surprised to see Jake standing there.

"I work here now." He said still smiling at her.

"Oh really?" She questioned smiling back at him.

"Yeah Andy is a friend of mine and he knew I was looking for work so he brought me here to talk to your pa about giving me a job and I just talked to him and he hired me on." He said moving a little closer to her.

"I see." She said as she turned back around and started brushing her horse again.

Neither one of them spoke for a moment then Jamie finally broke the silence as she turned around to face Jake.

"Well I really should be going I have some chores in the house that need to be done before dinner." She said with a smile as she walked out of the barn.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It's been a week since Jake was hired on at the Ponderosa. He hasn't seen Jamie much his work on the ranch has kept him pretty busy. Jamie was also busy planning her party and helping Hop Sing around the house so it would be ready for the guests that would be there the very next night.

Ben was so busy himself that he had all but forgotten about Matilda until the day of the party, he and Adam were sitting on the front porch talking , when a man came riding up to the house stating that he need to talk to Mr. Ben Cartwright.

"I'm Ben Cartwright." Ben said approaching the man with a confused look on his face.

"Mr. Cartwright you have been served." The man said as he handed Ben a legal document.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked getting angry.

"I don't know Mr. Cartwright I was just told to deliver this to you." The man said as he rode away.

"What is it Pa?" Adam asked seeing his father's face.

"It's Matilda." Ben said still reading the paper in his hand. "She is suing me for custody of your sister." Ben said in disbelief.

"She can't do that? Can she Pa?" Adam asked with worry in his voice.

"It looks like she is sure going to try." Ben said reading the document again unsure if he read it right the first time. "Not a word of this to your sister or brothers do you understand?" Ben threw his oldest son a warning glance.

"Don't worry Pa I won't say anything." Adam said reassuring his father.

"I want her to enjoy her party tonight." Ben said forcing a smile as he walked into the house.

Ben walked into the house and went over to his desk and sat down with a heavy sigh he looked at the paper in his hand once more then put it in his desk drawer. He was just sitting there collecting his thoughts when Jamie walked in.

"Daddy is something wrong?" Jamie asked as she walked over to her father

"No sweetheart I am just tired is all." Ben said smiling at his daughter.

"Ok, well I better start getting ready for my party!" She said excitedly as she kissed her father on the cheek and gave him a hug.

"Ok sweetheart you do that." Ben smiled as he watched his daughter run up the stairs to her room.

Later that evening Adam, Hoss, and Joe were in living room moving the furniture back so there would be room for dancing. Hop Sing was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the chocolate birthday day cake and the rest of the food. Ben had just finished getting ready and decided to go check on his little girl. He walked down the hall to her door and knocked lightly.

"Come in." Came the sweet voice of his little girl but when he walked in he was taken aback by what he saw. Who was this lovely young woman standing before him? Where had his little girl gone? His eyes were a little misty as she turned to face him.

"What do you think Daddy?" She asked sweetly.

"You look beautiful sweetheart." He said as a swallowed hard to try and get rid of the lump that rose in his throat.

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly and gave him a hug.

"You look just like your mother." He whispered as he hugged her tight.

As they parted she looked at him with tears in her eyes and smiled.

"I wish she could be here tonight." Jamie said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know you do and so do I." Ben said with a smile as he wiped her tear away with his thumb.

He just looked at her for a moment then remembered that he had something he wanted to give her in private.

"Jamie sweetheart I have something I want you to have." He said holding out a little box.

"What is it?" She asked taking it from him.

"Open it." He said with a smile.

She opened the little box and it took her breath away it was a silver locket. She looked at her father for a second then he finally spoke.

"It was your mother's now I want you to have it." Ben said still smiling at his daughter.

"Oh, Daddy it's beautiful." She said smiling as she choked back more tears.

"Here, let me put it on you." Ben said as he took the locket out of the box.

Jamie turned around as her father placed the necklace on her and fastened it.

"Open it." He said after it was securely around her neck.

Jamie did as she was told and saw a picture of her mother in it. She just looked at for a second until her father spoke again.

"Now you will always have your mother with you." Ben said with a smile. "Happy birthday sweetheart." He said as he pulled her into another hug.

They were still hugging when Joe called up the stairs that the guests would be arriving soon.

"We better head down stairs." Ben said as he kissed the top of her head.

They left her room and Ben escorted his daughter down stairs so her brothers could see her before the guests arrived. Joe was the first to look up and see his sister coming down the stairs.

"Wow who is that? It can't be my baby sister she looks to grown up." Joe said with a wink.

"Oh! Joe!" Jamie blushed as she went over and hugged her brother.

"You look mighty pretty Jamie and all grown up too." Hoss said as he too hugged his little sister.

"Thank you Hoss." She said as she hugged him back.

Adam just looked at her for a second in disbelief that this lovely young woman could be the same little sister that not long ago had followed him around like an annoying little tag along.

"Hey there kiddo, you look very beautiful." Adam smiled at her. "Happy birthday kiddo." He said as he too pulled her into a hug.

Then there was knock at the door as the guests started to arrive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jamie greeted her guests as they arrived for her party. As the last of the guests arrived Ben spoke up and got everyone's attention.

"Everyone if I could have your attention please." Ben said moving to the center of the room so that he could address everyone. "First off I would like to thank everyone for coming tonight and second I would like to wish my daughter a happy birthday. I would also like to say that she has grown into a beautiful young woman and I couldn't be prouder of her." Ben said with a smile. "Happy birthday sweetheart." He said giving his daughter a hug. "Now I do believe I get the first dance with my daughter." He said smiling and extending his hand to her.

"Of course Daddy." She said smiling back at him and taking his hand as the music started. As she danced with her father she couldn't help but remember when she was a little girl how he would put her on his feet when they would dance. The thought mad her smile. As the song ended she gave her father a hug then went to the refreshment table to get some punch.

While she was standing there sipping her punch she heard a familiar voice coming from behind her.

"Hey there beautiful."

She whirled around and saw Jake standing there smiling at her and she blushed slightly.

"Hi." She said with a smile.

"You look beautiful." Jake said with a smile.

"Thank you." She blushed.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked as he held out his hand to her.

"I would love to." She said with a smile as she took his hand.

As they danced around the floor Joe and Adam where standing off to the side and talking.

"I don't like it." Joe said watching Jake dance with his sister.

"Don't like what Joe?" Adam asked.

"Him dancing with Jamie." Joe said through gritted teeth.

"They're just dancing." Adam said looking at his brother a little confused.

"I can see the way he's looking at her and I don't like it." Joe said keeping his eye on his sister and Jake.

Adam just rolled his eyes and walked away. Just then Joe saw Jake whisper something in Jamie's ear then he saw them go outside. Just when he was about to follow them Betsy Sue walked up to him.

"Little Joe do want to dance with me?" She asked sweetly.

"Maybe in a bit I need to go outside and get some air." Joe said trying to get past her.

"Well maybe I can get some air with you." She said looking up at him with a flirty smile and batting her eyelashes.

"No I sort of want to be alone." He said with a sigh as he walked past her and made his way to the door.

Meanwhile Jamie and Jake were outside by the tree in the yard looking at the stars and talking.

"It's such a beautiful night." Jamie said as she looked up at the stars.

"It sure is." Jake smiled looking at her.

By this time Joe had made his way outside just in time to see Jake running his finger up and down Jamie's arm as he whispered in her ear. Joe clinched his fists ready to defend his sister's honor if need be. He tried to keep his temper in check but it was difficult for him. Suddenly they turned and started walking toward the house when Jamie saw her brother standing there.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked Joe obviously irritated with him.

"I….I j..just came out for some air." Joe stammered trying to look innocent.

"No you were spying on me!" Jamie yelled.

"I swear I wasn't." He said seeing how furious his sister was.

Jamie just glared at him as she walked past him and went back into the house. After she was in the house Joe just glared at Jake then went inside himself with Jake following. Shortly after the party ended and the guests left leaving the Cartwright home quiet once again as they helped clean up then went to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6." **

It's the day after Jamie's birthday party and the family is making their way to the table one by one for breakfast. Jamie and Joe both came out of their rooms at the same time.

"Good morning." Joe said with a smile.

Jamie didn't say anything she just walked past him and down the stairs. Joe just stood there for a second and shook his head before heading down stairs. Ben looked up and saw his two youngest children approaching the table.

"Well good morning you two." He said with a smile.

"Good morning Daddy." Jamie said sweetly as she took he place at the table.

"Good morning Pa." Joe said as he too took his seat at the table.

"Jamie sweetheart did you have fun at your party last night?" Ben asked his daughter with a smile.

"Yes I did. It was nice to see everybody." Jamie replied with a smile.

"So uh I saw you and Jake looked like you were getting awful friendly like." Hoss said trying to hold back a chuckle.

Jamie didn't say anything she just smiled at Hoss and continued eating her breakfast.

After breakfast they all set out to do their chores but before Jamie could leave Ben stopped her.

"Jamie sweetheart after you are done doing your chores I have something I need to talk you about."

"Ok Daddy." She said with a smile as she left the house to go tend to her horse Prince in the barn.

Joe saw his sister go into the barn and wanted to talk to her about what had happened the previous night at her party so he followed her. Once inside he saw her brushing Prince. He cleared his throat as he approached her.

"What do you want?" Jamie asked curtly knowing it was her brother.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for last night." He said apologetically.

She didn't say anything she just moved around to the other side of her horse.

"I feel really bad and just wanted to explain." He said looking down at his feet.

"Explain! Explain what? How you refuse to let me live my life? Or how you were spying on me?" She yelled as her temper boiled over.

"Look I wanted to say that I was sorry." He tried again.

"Why apologize? There is no point in you saying it won't happen again because we both know it will!" Jamie screamed at her brother as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Joe just stood there in shock at how angry his sister was with him and getting angry with himself for making her cry.

"You just don't get it Joe." She said still crying.

"I don't know what to say other than I am sorry." Joe said looking at her and now he had tears in his eyes.

Jamie just looked at him for a second then walked passed him with Prince leaving her brother in the barn alone. He just stood there for a moment before he started brushing Cochise. Then he became aware of someone else in the barn and when he looked up he saw his father.

"Where did your sister go?" Ben asked as he approached his youngest son.

"I don't know Pa." Joe said not able to look his father in the eye.

"Well she looked upset is everything ok?" He asked.

"She's upset with me Pa." Joe said still looking down.

"Now why would she be upset with you?" Ben asked a little confused.

"Well you see last night she went outside with Jake to get some air and well um I sort of followed them and she saw me." Joe said fumbling with the brush in his hands.

"Oh." He said somewhat understanding.

"She thinks I was spying on her." He added still averting his eyes from his father's gaze.

"I see. Were you spying on your sister Joseph?" Ben asked sternly.

"I guess I was but Pa I just don't want her to get hurt." Joe said emphatically.

"I can understand that but don't you think she's a big girl and can take care of herself. I mean she is a Cartwright after all." Ben said with a smile.

"I guess so Pa." Joe said finally looking at his father.

"Then I suggest you find her and make things right." Ben said as he raised one eyebrow.

"Ok Pa I will." Joe said with a smile as he started to lead Cochise out of the barn.

"Oh, Joe one more thing." Ben said stopping him before he left the barn.

"Yeah Pa." Joe said turning to face his father once more.

"Can you please tell your sister that I still need to talk to her when you find her." Ben asked with a smile.

"Sure Pa." Joe said returning his father's smile before turning and leaving the barn.

As Joe rode out he tried to think of where Jamie might be. Then he remembered her favorite spot by the creek and decided to check there first. As luck would have it he was right she was sitting under a tree by creek with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head was down resting on her arms. As he got closer he could hear her crying. He stopped Cochise next to Prince dismounted him tethered him the same bush as Prince then walked over to his sister. He approached her cautiously then put his hand on her shoulder which made her jump. When she looked and saw him she just glared at him for a second then she finally spoke.

"Leave…me…alone." She said between sniffs.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said as he sat down next to her.

She didn't say anything she just turned away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes as they welled up again.

"Why not?" She asked through gritted teeth when she finally spoke.

"Well, I told Pa that I would find you and make things right again not to mention he wants to talk you." Joe said putting his on her shoulder again only to have her shrug it off.

"Look I am sorry for spying on you and Jake last night." Joe said desperately trying to make things right with his sister again.

She still had her back to him but she rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"I don't know what else to say or do." He said not knowing what he could say or do to get her to forgive him.

Jamie turned around slowly then looked him in the eye.

"You still don't get it Joe!" Jamie exclaimed looking at her brother's confused expression.

"Then please explain it to me." He said exasperated.

"Joe I am a big girl and I can take care of myself. I mean I am a Cartwright after all." She said with a little grin.

Joe had to smile at her last comment.

"What?" Jamie asked noticing her brother's smile.

"It's just that Pa said that exact same thing to me before I came out here." He said with a chuckle.

Jamie couldn't help but laugh herself. Once they had both regained their composure Joe just looked at her and finally saw his sister as a young woman rather than a little girl though to him she would always be his baby sister.

"I think I get it now." He said pulling her into a hug.

"So you'll let me live my life and not interfere?" She asked hugging him back.

"Yes, but you know I am here if you do decide you need your big brother." Joe said with a grin.

"I'll remember that." Jamie said as she smiled at her brother.

"What do you say we head home." Joe suggested as he stood up and helped Jamie to her feet.

"So what does Daddy want to talk to me about?" She asked as they mounted their horses.

"I don't know why don't we go home and find out." He suggested with a grin as they started home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As Joe and Jamie rode up to the house Ben was waiting outside for them.

"Judging by the fact you two are talking I assume that you patched things up?" Ben asked with a smile.

"Yes Daddy I forgave him and he agreed to let me live my life and not to spy on me anymore." Jamie said with a smile as she looked over at her brother.

"That's right." Joe grinned back.

"Well now that we have that settled Jamie sweetheart I really do need to talk to you about something rather important." Ben said as he helped her off of her horse.

"I'll take care of the horses so you two can talk." Joe offered as he climbed off of Cochise.

"Thank you Joe." Ben smiled at his son.

As Ben walked into the house with his daughter he was trying to think of the best way to open this conversation. He wanted to approach it in delicate manner because he didn't want to upset his daughter but she needed to know what had been going on. As she sat on the settee He sat next to her and turned to face her.

"Sweetheart there is something that I need to tell you." Ben started as he looked at his little girl searching for the right words.

"Yes Daddy." She said sweetly looking at him with her big brown eyes searching his face. "Is something wrong?" She asked suddenly sensing something wasn't right.

"Well about a little over a week ago I got a letter from your grandmother in San Francisco stating she needed to talk to me about something then a few days later she showed up here with this." Ben said handing her the will that Matilda had given him.

"What is this?" She asked surprised.

"Your grandmother would have you believe it is a will that your mother had drawn up in the event of her untimely death stating that you would go to live with your grandmother in San Francisco when you turned sixteen." Ben said shocked that he could actually get the words out.

"I won't go and nobody can make me leave you and my brothers!" She exclaimed as she threw the paper down on the table in front of her.

"Nobody's going to take you away I promise you that." He said pulling her into a hug.

"I love you Daddy." She said hugging her father tight.

"I love you too sweetheart." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "But that isn't quite the end of it." Ben started again.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked pulling away from her father and looking him the eye.

"Well the day before yesterday a man came to the house and gave me papers saying that Matilda was going to take me to court to fight for you." Ben said seeing the look on his daughter's face.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" She asked almost angry.

"Sweetheart I didn't want anything to ruin your party and besides until those papers were delivered I thought I had taken care of it." He said trying to ease her mind.

"Excuse me Daddy I need to be alone for a while I need to think about all of this." She said wanting nothing more than to run and get as far away as possible but she calmly got up and walked out of the house and to the barn where she saw Joe just about to take the saddle off of Prince.

"No Joe don't take his saddle off I need to go for a ride." She said with her head still in a fog.

"Now?" Joe questioned her a little confused.

"Yes Joe now." She said getting annoyed as she took the reins from his hands and walked out of the barn.

As she left the barn with Prince she looked over at the house and saw her father standing on the porch. He smiled at her and she just averted her eyes and mounted her horse and rode off. As she was riding she hadn't noticed that she passed Adam. Upon seeing his sister riding alone he got a little worried so he followed her. When she stopped she was at her favorite spot again. Adam hung back a ways as he watched her tie Prince to a nearby bush then he saw her sit under a tree where she immediately started crying. Deciding he needed to find out what was wrong he got off Sport tied him to the same bush and sat down next to her which made her jump and look up.

"Oh, Adam, it's you." She said with tears streaming down her face and new ones welling up in her eyes.

"What's wrong little one?" He asked concerned.

"Did you know about my grandmother?" She asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"So Pa told you." He said with a questioning look.

"Yes." She said fighting back more tears.

"You're not made at him are you?" Adam asked hoping she wasn't.

"A little." She said not looking at him.

"Well you shouldn't be none of this is his fault." Adam said putting his arm around her and pulling her close to him.

"I know that I just don't understand why he didn't tell me about all of this earlier." She said putting her head on his shoulder.

"I guess he thought he was protecting you." Adam said with a grin.

"Why does everyone in this family think I need all of this protection?" She asked getting a little annoyed.

"We love you little one and we just want what's best for you." Adam said as he squeezed her shoulder.

They just sat there not talking for a while then Adam finally spoke again.

"What do you say we get back home and have some lunch before Hop Sing decides to quit and go back to China?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Okay." Jamie said with a giggle.

As they rode up to the house they noticed their father sitting outside on the porch.

"Why don't you go talk to him and I will take care of the horses." Adam suggested noticing his sister's expression dim a little at the sight of their father.

Jamie smiled at Adam as she got off of Prince and walked over to her father. Noticing his daughter approach Ben stood up but before he could say anything Jamie ran up and threw her arms around him.

"I'm sorry Daddy." Jamie said hugging her father.

"No sweetheart I'm sorry." Ben said hugging her back.

Just then Hop Sing came outside to announce that lunch was ready.

"Well we better get inside before the food gets cold and Hop Sing quits." Ben chuckled.

"Okay." Jamie said with a smile as she started to go in the house but then she turned around and faced her father. "Daddy." She said with a smile as he looked at her.

"Yes." Ben smiled at her.

"I love you." She said with a smile as she turned and went into the house.

As she said the words for a split second he saw her as a little girl again and when he did he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

"I love you too my sweet angel." He whispered as she disappeared inside the house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The day finally came for Ben to meet with Matilda and the judge to discuss whether or not Matilda had any legal right to take his daughter from him. They agreed to meet with the judge privately instead of having a trial so the matter could be resolved quickly.

Jamie accompanied her father into town that day as the judge wanted to speak with her as well. As she sat with her father waiting for the judge she got more and more nervous. She looked at her father and he smiled at her and patted her knee. Just then the door to the judge's office opened the judge appeared.

"Well, hello Ben." The judge greeted him as he extended his hand.

"Hello Judge Warner." Ben said with a smile as he stood up and shook Judge Warner's hand.

Jamie stood up with her father but stood there quietly.

"This must me Jamie." Judge Warner smiled at her.

"Yes this is my daughter." Ben smiled proudly.

"It is nice to meet you young lady." The judge smiled at her again.

"It's nice to meet you too." Jamie said with a sweet smile.

"Now, young lady if it is alright with you and your father I would like to speak to you privately for a few moments." Judge Warner said as he looked from Jamie to Ben.

"Ok." Jamie said nervously as she looked at her father. The judge ushered her into his office and closed the door.

"Please have a seat." Judge Warner motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Jamie sat down and the judge took his seat behind his large oak desk. He smiled at her for a moment then he finally spoke.

"Now then I take it you know why we are all here today?" He asked her.

"Yes." Jamie replied nervously.

"Well then I just have a few questions for you." The judge said as he leaned over his desk.

"Ok." She replied still very nervous.

"First of all how do you like living on the Ponderosa?" He asked peering at her over his half-moon glasses.

"I love it. It's my home." Jamie replied feeling her nerves beginning to ease.

"That's good. Now do your father and brothers treat you well?" He asked sitting back in his chair.

"Of course they do they love me." She said a little confused as to why he would ask her these questions.

"Don't you think you should have a female role model? Someone like a mother figure that can help you become a proper young lady?" He asked again leaning over his desk.

"With all due respect my mother died when I was two and I think my father has done a fine job raising me. Don't get me wrong I miss my mother and wish she could be here but I have gotten along just fine without a mother figure for fourteen years, all I need is my father and my brothers." Jamie said as she felt the tears sting her eyes.

"I didn't mean to upset you my dear I'm sorry." Judge Warner said seeing that she was visibly upset.

"I'm fine." She said not wanting to look at him.

Just then the door opened and the judge's assistant walked in.

"Judge Warner I am sorry to interrupt but Mrs. Matilda Jones has arrived." He said nervously.

"Thank you Terrance." Judge Warner nodded at him then he left the room. "Well, now I will need to speak with your father and grandmother, thank you for answering my questions." He said as he stood up to show Jamie out.

"You're welcome." She said politely as she stood up and made her way to the door.

Once they were out the door Judge Warner addressed Ben and Matilda.

"Ok now that I have spoken with the girl I will need to speak with each of you and hear your arguments then I will make my decision." He said as he ushered them inside.

Jamie was sitting outside the office waiting when she heard the front door of the building open she looked up and saw a tall well-dressed handsome young man walk in and address Terrance.

"Terrance is my father in?" The young man asked.

"Yes he is but he is in a meeting." Terrance said

"I can wait for him thanks Terrance." The young man said as he turned and noticed Jamie sitting there.

"Hello, my name is Sam Warner." He introduced himself as he sat down next to her.

"I'm Jamie." She said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you." Sam said as he smiled back.

Jamie could feel herself blush when she smiled at her.

"So what are here to see my father for?" He asked.

"It's a long story." She said turning away from him.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked it's none of my business." He said apologetically.

"It's ok." She said as she turned back around.

Jamie couldn't help but notice how handsome he was and those dimples on his cheeks when he smiled, oh it was almost enough to make her melt. Then there were his eyes at first she thought they were blue but when he got closer she could see a little green in them and possibly hazel. She couldn't help but daydream a little. Meanwhile in Judge Warner's office Ben and Matilda were both pleading their cases.

"She is my daughter I have raised her on my own for the past fourteen years and I don't intend on letting you take her away from me!" Ben exclaimed.

"With all due respect Mr. Cartwright my granddaughter needs a proper education and to be taught to be a proper young lady which you can't do seeing how you are not a woman. She needs proper female role models! " Matilda snapped back.

Judge Warner tried to intercede but before he could say anything Ben was on the defensive once again.

"Listen I can provide my daughter with any education she might want or need not to mention she has turned out to be a fine young lady and she has had proper female role models!" Ben spat back at her.

"Okay I have heard enough I am ready to make my decision." Judge Warner interjected.

With that both Ben and Matilda were quiet as they sat there looking at the judge waiting for his answer.

"It's clear to me that the girl is right where she needs to be with her father and brothers. I'm sorry Mrs. Jones but that is my final decision." Judge Warner said as he looked at both of them.

"What about my daughter's will…" Matilda started but was cut off when Judge Warner held up his hand and stopped her.

"I am sorry but I have no proof that the will is legal or that she even had it drawn up." Judge Warner said with a sympathetic look on his face.

Matilda just sat there quietly while Ben thanked the judge then the three of them exited the office. As the door opened Matilda left in a huff then Ben and the Judge saw Sam and Jamie talking.

"Why Sam what brings you here my boy?" Judge Warner asked a little surprised to see his youngest son.

"I have some time off from school so I thought I would spend it here with you." Sam said with a smile as he shook his father's hand.

"Well I'm glad you did." He said with a smile. "Oh how rude of me, Ben this is my youngest son Sam." Judge Warner said proudly as he patted Sam on the back.

"Nice to meet you Sam Ben said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too sir." Sam said returning his smile.

"Sam here is going to school to be a lawyer and maybe one day he will be a judge like his father." Judge Warner said with pride though Sam turned a little red with embarrassment.

"I'm sure you'll make a fine lawyer Sam." Ben said with a smile.

"Thank you sir." Sam said as he shook Ben's hand.

"Well we better get going the Ponderosa won't run itself." Ben chuckled.

"I guess you're right." Judge Warner chuckled as he showed them out.

"Thank you again John." Ben said to the judge as he and Jamie walked out the door.

Judge Warner just smiled a waved as father and daughter made their way down the street. Then he turned to see his son staring and realized he was staring at Jamie.

"She's a pretty girl." John looked at his son with a smile.

"Yes she is." Same replied distracted.

Judge Warner gave a little chuckle which brought Sam out of his daze.

"What's the Ponderosa?" He asked his father.

"The Ponderosa is Ben Cartwright's Ranch and happens to be the biggest spread in the territory of Nevada." John answered his son.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

A couple of days later Ben had a Cattlemen's Association meeting to attend in town and Jamie had talked him into taking her town with him and Joe.

"Now Joseph I am going to be in this meeting for a couple of hours and I am counting on you to get the supplies and keep an eye on your sister." Ben said giving his son a playfully stern look.

"I think I can handle that Pa." Joe said with a chuckle.

"Good, now I will meet you two at the hotel for lunch this afternoon." Ben said smiling at both of them.

"Ok Daddy." Jamie said with a smile as she hugged her father.

Joe and Jamie watched their father walk away and as soon as he was out of sight Joe turned to his sister.

"Do you think you could keep out of trouble while I get these supplies?" He asked with a playful grin.

Jamie just rolled her eyes at her brother before she spoke.

"I think I will be fine I just want to go to the general store and get some jelly beans and I told Hoss I would get him some licorice." She said as she walked away.

"Okay I will be there in few minutes." Joe said as he watched his sister walk away.

As Jamie entered the store she was greeted by the store owner Mr. Williams.

"Hello Miss Cartwright." Mr. Williams said with a smile.

"Hello Mr. Williams." Jamie said smiling back.

"Is there anything I can help you find today?" He asked still smiling.

"As a matter of fact I need a bag a jellybeans for me and some licorice for Hoss." She replied while she looked at the jars of candy in front of her.

"Of course let me get that for you." Mr. Williams said with a smile as he came over to the candy jars with a bag.

As Mr. Williams got Jamie her candy a man entered the store causing both of them to look up.

"Oh hello mister I will be with you in just a moment." Mr. Williams said with a smile as he smiled at the stranger.

"No hurry." The stranger said as he looked at some items on a shelf.

Jamie got a bad feeling the minute she saw the stranger and just wanted to leave so she paid the store owner and left. The stranger watched her leave then went up to Mr. Williams.

"Hey mister who was that pretty little lady that just left?" He asked with a sly almost evil grin."

"Why that was Ben Cartwright's daughter Jamie." Mr. Williams said with a somewhat forced smile as he too got a bad feeling from the stranger.

"Ya don't say." The man grinned as he looked at the door.

"Well, is there anything I can get you?" Mr. Williams asked nervously.

"No thanks." The man said as he walked out the door.

The stranger walked over to the saloon were another man was waiting.

"There you are Tom." The man said to his friend.

"I told you I'd be here Bill." Tom said to his friend. "Let's go in and get a beer." He suggested.

"Before we do that do you see that pretty little girl over yonder?" Bill asked his friend as he pointed at Jamie who was walking toward the buckboard were Joe was loading supplies.

"Yeah I see her, what about her?" Tom asked Bill not sure what his friend was thinking.

"That's Ben Cartwright's daughter." Bill said with a grin.

"Yeah, what's your point?" Tom asked confused.

"Ben Cartwright owns the Ponderosa, the largest spread in Nevada which means he is the richest man in the territory." Bill said his grin widening as he paused to give Tom a second to catch on then he continued. "Let's say she were to be kidnapped how much money do you think old Ben Cartwright would pay to get his precious little girl back?" He posed the question to Tom.

"Quite a bit I imagine." Tom said with a grin spreading across his lips.

While they were talking Tom and Bill hadn't noticed the slender older gentleman that had been listening very intently to everything they said. When they were finished talking and finally went into the saloon the man took off quickly in the direction of the hotel. Once inside he went up to the front desk.

"Is Mrs. Jones in?" He asked the clerk.

"I do believe she is in her room." The clerk replied with a smile.

"Thank you." The man said returning the clerk's smile as he ran up the stairs. When he got to the top of the stairs he paused for a moment then took a right down the hall and found the room he was looking for and knocked on the door.

"Mrs. Jones." He said as he knocked.

He didn't have to wait long for the door to open and Matilda Jones was standing in front of him.

"Come in Jeffery." She said as she ushered the man into her room.

"Ma'am I think I found two men that would be willing to take your granddaughter from Ben Cartwright for you." He said excitedly.

"Oh and who might these gentlemen be?" Matilda questioned.

"A Mr. Tom Langston and Mr. Bill Thompson, they appear to be out of work cowhands who would like to get back at Ben Cartwright for whatever reason." Jeffery said hopefully.

Matilda took a minute to mull over this information then she looked at the man standing in front of her.

"Ok Jeffery you bring these men to me so I can speak with them." Matilda said dismissing the man.

Meanwhile as Joe was loading supplies into the buckboard he looked up and noticed his sister approaching.

"I thought I was going to meet you at the general store." Joe said as he leaned against the edge of the buckboard.

"I got what I needed and thought I would come find you instead." Jamie said with a forced smile that didn't escape her brother's attention.

"Are you ok?" He asked with a concerned look on his face as he came around the other side of the buckboard so that he was standing in front of his sister.

"I'm fine." She said looking at her feet.

"No you're not." He said placing his hand under chin and lifting her head so he could look her in the eye. "What's wrong?" He asked looking her in the eye.

"It's nothing really a man came into the store and I just got a bad feeling is all." She said with a sheepish sort of grin. "It's silly I know but I just had to get out of there." she said.

"It's not silly." Joe said putting his arms around her giving her a hug.

Jamie just smiled as she hugged her brother. As much as he could get on her nerves at times she was sure glad he was her big brother.


End file.
